The Detroit Pistons are interested in moving up in the NBA draft and they are intrigued by LaMelo Ball.
Per ESPN, Currently holding the No. 7 pick in the upcoming 2020 NBA draft, Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver says that “moving up is definitely an option.”
One possible target has been training in the team’s backyard throughout the pandemic: top prospect LaMelo Ball — whose mentor and manager, Jermaine Jackson Sr., is a former Piston and Motown native.
The NBA aims to have arena suites open to fans at a 25-to-50 percent capacity for the 2020-21 season tipoff, based on local regulations, according to Shams Charania.
Charania reports that the NBA wants to allow this amount of fans by following protocols such as masks, social distancing and coronavirus testing.
Fonte: Shams Charania.
John Lucas has agreed to a deal to join new Rockets head coach Stephen Silas on his coaching staff, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.
Lucas had been in a player development role under Mike D’Antoni.
Fonte: Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Atlanta Hawks will hire Nate McMillan as an assistant coach on the staff of Lloyd Pierce, who is entering his third season with the team, as reported by New York Times’ Marc Stein.
The Indiana Pacers parted ways with McMillan this offseason despite finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Fonte: Marc Stein.
Should the NBA and the NBPA agree to set the start of next season for December 22nd, Shams Charania of The Athletic report, there will be a 25 percent reduction in travel and 14 back-to-back games per team.
The plan is to end the regular season around May 16th, followed by a play-in tournament involving the Nos. 7-10 seeds in each conference with the playoffs then beginning on May 22nd. The Finals would conclude around July 22nd, a day before the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Fonte: Shams Charania.
Daryl Morey is believed to have signed the NBA’s most lucrative contract for a lead basketball decision maker since Phil Jackson’s five-year, $60 million contract with the New York Knicks, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers agreed you a five-year deal last week estimated to be worth more than $10 million per season, according to industry insiders. Some insiders even insist the deal is worth more than Jackson’s, which paid $12 million annually.
Fonte: Marc Stein.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the last team without a head coach during this offseason cycle, reports Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Spurs assistant Will Hardy, Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Thunder assistant Mark Daigneault are among the candidates who have received strong consideration by the Thunder after the vacancy left by Billy Donovan.
Fonte: Marc Stein.
There are concerns that if the 20-21 NBA season does not begin by Christmas, their television parents may want to renegotiate their deals, reports The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The NBA negotiated a nine-year, $24 billion contract with ESPN, ABC and Turner Sports running from the 16-17 through 24-25 in October of 2014.
The New Orleans Pelicans are openly discussing star Jrue Holiday in trade talks, Shams Charania reports.
The reporter adds that several contending teams are interested.
The 30-year-old guard out of UCLA will earn around 25 million next season, and has a player option of about 26 million for 2021/22.
Holiday is one of the most versatile two-way guards in the league, able to play as a first offensive option, but also to run the team. On defense he is willing to defend the most dangerous opponent, regardless of role.
It is therefore not surprising the considerable interest in him.
Last season with the Pelicans Holiday averaged 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
The New Orleans Pelicans are openly discussing star Jrue Holiday in trade talks and several contending teams are pursuing, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 4, 2020
According to Jonathan Wasserman, Patrick Williams is one of the Detroit Pistons’ targets in the upcoming NBA Draft.
The Detroit Pistons are looking at point guards in Haliburton, Killian Hayes and Kira Lewis Jr. But multiple sources tell Bleacher Report that Patrick Williams has become a coveted target for Detroit, and it’s easy to picture the Pistons talking themselves into his upside.
Williams, one of the youngest prospects in the 2020 draft, ended his freshman year at Florida State with 9.2 points (46% FG, 32% 3p, 84% FT), 4 rebounds, 1 steals and 1 block per game.
Fonte: Jonathan Wasserman.
Houston Rockets close to sign John Lucas as assistant coach as reported by Shams Charania.
Lucas will work under the new head coach Stephen Silas.
The Rockets are near agreement on deal with John Lucas to be an assistant coach under Stephen Silas, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 4, 2020
According to Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers and new basketball operations president Daryl Morey are expected to chase Houston Rockets star James Harden, but the Texan team has no plans to trade the guard out of Arizona State.
Last year Harden was the NBA top scorer with 34.3 points per game.
"I'm told Philadelphia is expected to be interested in and pursue James Harden"
Our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania reports a Harden move for Houston is currently a non-starter. pic.twitter.com/7JaZH69WLt
— Stadium (@Stadium) November 3, 2020
LaMelo Ball has reportedly struggled in workouts and interviews, and many league sources believe he could fall out of the top three. Some teams may prefer to play it safe, but if a player with Ball’s upside does slip, a bidding war could commence, as reported by The Ringer.
Josh Longstaff is leaving the Milwaukee Bucks to join Billy Donovan’s coaching staff with the Chicago Bulls, Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Longstaff was previously the head coach of the Erie BayHawks in G League, and an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bulls are hiring Bucks assistant Josh Longstaff for Billy Donovan’s coaching staff, sources tell ESPN. For Longstaff, it is an opportunity to elevate to a front-of-the-bench assistant.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 2, 2020
Philadelphia 76ers Managing Partner Josh Harris announced today that the team has named Daryl Morey as President of Basketball Operations. Morey joins the organization after 14 seasons with the Houston Rockets, 13 of which were spent as general manager. With Morey as general manager, Houston compiled a 640-400 (.615) record, the second-best of any NBA team during that span. Among executives with at least 1,000 games of experience, Morey’s record stands as the fifth-best in league history; a top-five that also includes the likes of R.C. Buford and Jerry West.
Between 2007-20, Morey’s teams never had a losing season, winning 50-plus games eight times and qualifying for the postseason on 10 occasions. The Rockets’ eight straight playoff appearances, including multiple trips to the Western Conference Finals, represent the longest streak in the NBA.
In addition, the team announced that General Manager Elton Brand has signed a multi-year contract extension.
“Daryl Morey is one of the very best front-office executives in the NBA and I’m thrilled to welcome him to Philadelphia as the 76ers President of Basketball Operations,” Harris said. “Talent like Daryl rarely becomes available so we moved quickly and aggressively to bring him here. He has an extraordinary track record of success in this league as an innovator, visionary and leader, and I believe he significantly improves our chances of delivering a championship caliber team to our fans. This offseason, we made it our mission to make this organization better and stronger. By hiring a tremendous front-office leader in Daryl and championship coach in Doc, as well as extending Elton, we’re proud of what we’ve assembled. I’m excited for their leadership and look forward to continuing to build a team this city and our fans can be proud of.”
Over the years, Morey played a part in bringing several All-Star-caliber players to Houston through trades and free agency, including James Harden, Kyle Lowry, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. In 2017-18, Morey earned Executive of the Year honors, while Harden was named MVP, following a franchise best 65-17 regular season.
“Thank you to Josh Harris for the trust he has placed in me to lead the 76ers. I am humbled by the challenge and will work tirelessly to win the hearts of Philadelphia’s legendary fans,” Morey said. “The opportunity to work again with Doc Rivers, Elton Brand, and a stacked roster that is ready to win made this a can’t miss opportunity.”
Prior to joining the Rockets as assistant general manager in 2006, Morey served three years as SVP Operations for the Boston Celtics. Originally from Ohio, Morey is a graduate of Northwestern University and also holds an MBA from MIT where he serves as the co-chair of the school’s annual Sports Analytics Conference.
“I appreciate the confidence Josh Harris and this organization have shown in me with this extension,” Brand said. “From the moment I arrived in Philadelphia, my goal has been to find a way to bring a championship to this city and our fans. I love this city, I love our fans and I will do whatever it takes to help this franchise succeed. This offseason, this organization has added two of the most respected and accomplished leaders in the NBA – Daryl Morey as President of Basketball Operations and Doc Rivers as Head Coach – and I’m excited to work and grow with this group.”
Brand was named general manager on Sept. 20, 2018 and has spent the past two seasons in his current role. Under Brand, the 76ers have compiled a 94-61 (.606) regular-season record and twice qualified for the postseason.
OFFICIAL
We have named Daryl Morey as President of Basketball Operations.
📄: https://t.co/OJsx8Uxsa7 pic.twitter.com/5QLWE5H3cQ
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 2, 2020
Fonte: NBA.com.
Isiaha Mike told Rookie Wire’s Bryan Kalbrosky that he will keep his name in the 2020 NBA draft instead of withdrawing and becoming auto-eligible in 2021.
Mike recently left SMU to sign a deal in Germany with Bundesliga club Chemnitz.
Fonte: Rookie Wire.
Projected top-5 pick James Wiseman doesn’t want to be selected at No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Wiseman does not want to come to Minnesota because Karl Towns is there,” said Windhorst. “From what I understand, Wiseman doesn’t even want to do anything with the Wolves.”
Wiseman is currently at No. 3 in the ESPN’s Top 100.
Fonte: The Scoop W/ Doggie.
The NBA is estimating that there would be “significant financial turmoil” if the season competed with the Summer Olympics for television ratings, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
A potential mid-January start would take the season into July, thereby competing with the Olympics. A January start could also cost the league up to a billion dollars in revenues. This is why the NBA prefers a December 22nd start date, while the NBPA have pushed for mid-January to begin the season.
Fonte: Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to accelerate their rebuilding process and start competing in the near future, sources told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Cleveland has the 5th pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and, per coach JB Bickerstaff, plans to having Andre Drummond for the foreseeable future.
Fonte: Brian Windhorst.
The Toronto Raptors have discussed playing at the Prudential Center in Newark next season, sources told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
The league reportedly prefers Newark as the Raptors’ temporary home next season due to its proximity to their division rivals and a desire to limit traveling: as Knicks, Nets, 76ers, Celtics, and Wizards are all within 225 miles of the Prudential Center, Newark would be a smart choice in that regard.
The Raptors have also discussed playing in Tampa Bay and Nashville, according to sources.
Fonte: Stefan Bondy.
The NBA fears that starting the league in January instead of December could cost the league between $500 million and $1 billion in revenue, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The financial consequences would result in a steep drop in salaries. There remains “significant gaps” between the NBA and NBPA on how to account for financial losses for last season and steeper projected declines for next season.
Meanwhile, both sides have agreed to push back the deadline of potentially terminating the CBA until next Friday, November 6.
Fonte: Adrian Wojnarowski.
The NBA is allowing all 30 teams to open practice facilities for group practices, workouts and scrimmages with up to 10 players, reports The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The teams who were not included in the NBA’s restart had two-week minicamps in late September and early October.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the players must be tested every day for COVID-19 and return a negative test each time to be allowed to participate.
The NBA may offer the NBPA a 50-game season if the players maintain their position of wanting the season to start on Martin Luther King Day on January 18th, reports Marc Stein of the New York Times. The league, and its television partners, is reportedly pushing for a 72-game season beginning on Christmas Day.
As compensation for players adheres to a regular season schedule, a 50-game season would mean a significant reduction in revenues. The NBA’s 72-game model would begin on December 22nd and stretch for approximately 14 games per month through May, followed by the playoffs through mid-July prior to the start of the Olympics on July 23rd.
Fonte: Marc Stein.
Mike D’Antoni and Ime Udoka have reached an agreement to become assistant coaches under Steve Nash with the Brooklyn Nets, Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
D’Antoni left the Houston Rockets at the end of last season.
Udoka spent last season in Brett Brown’s coaching staff with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Udoka spent seven years on Gregg Popovich's staff in San Antonio, and has interviewed for several head coaching jobs. He spent last season with Philadelphia. Jacque Vaughn is the Nets top assistant coach. Nash has built a strong staff for his first season as head coach. https://t.co/apfndGdlnM
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 30, 2020
According to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, LaMelo Ball is not performing well in job interviews with teams prior to NBA Draft.
Per RealGm, Lamelo Ball is reportedly struggling during his pre-draft interviews, sources told Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
“Here is what I’m hearing from the league at large: LaMelo Ball is not performing very well at job interviews. I’ve heard that from multiple sources. He is not improving his perception via job interview.
“There are people drafting later in the top ten who were not preparing for the possibility of Ball still being around … there are teams later in the top ten who are doing more research on him,” said Bonnell on Sports Radio WFNZ.
The Houston Rockets are not interested to trade James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package centered around Ben Simmons.
With Morey joining the 76ers as new president there have been already speculation on who Phila may try to sign in the next NBA market.
Per RealGM, “I’ve already been told with a few expletives included by somebody with the Rockets: ‘No, Daryl, James Harden for Ben Simmons is not happening. Don’t ask,’ said Tim MacMahon on the Brian Windhorst podcast.
“It’s not up to the Rockets, is it?” replied Windhorst, referring to the possibility of Harden asking for a trade at some point.
“The answer is no on that,” added MacMahon on whether Houston would trade Harden for Simmons.
Bradley Beal said that when he signed the contract extension with the Washington Wizards he tried to get flexibility because his primary goal is to win.
Beal, via “ The Old Man & The Three ”
“It was more or less, do I want to have something built around me? And I had that opportunity to do it here. Or do I kind of want to test the waters? And that’s kind of what made me do so.
But I signed my deal and kind of structured it to where I had some flexibility, because, at the end of the day, I still want to win. And the organization has to show me that we want to win. I want to see what John’s like, as well. So, there’s always going to be hope in that direction.
But you still want to be able to protect yourself and kind of be selfish in that regard. How can I create some type of flexibility for myself if we aren’t winning, if I do choose to get out.
Beal’s salary (via Hoopshype):
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
2019/20, $27,093,018
2020/21, $28,751,774
2021/22, $34,502,129
2022/23, $37,262,299 (player option)
Fonte: NBC Sports.
Projected top-3 pick LaMelo Ball met with Minnesota Timberwolves’ President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas and head coach Ryan Saunders, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
The Timberwolves have the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming Draft on November 18th.
He is also expected to interview with the Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, Givony reports.
Fonte: ESPN.
Elton Brand recently signed a two-year contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brand will remain as GM also with the arrival of Daryl Morey as president of the basketball operations.
The general manager has three years remaining on his contract with the 76ers.
Per Philadelphia Inquirer, “There’s a report out of Philly today, from Keith Pompey, that Elton Brand has three years left on his contract. Well, a month ago he had one year left on his contract, so I think there was a possibility Elton Brand got a contract extension that they didn’t announce.”
The NBA and NBPA are negotiating methods of artificially inflating the 20-21 salary cap to keep it around $109 million, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.
If the NBA and players were to link the salary cap to overall league revenue, it would have fallen to around $90 million. Those discussions are at the core of what needs to be decided to finalize a revised collective bargaining agreement. Both sides must also agree to an escrow system to account for the anticipated shortfall.
Fonte: ESPN.